Deep dive into building a multi-host overlay network: VXLAN + OVS tunnels between hosts, libvirt network definitions, QEMU command-line DPDK setup with vhost-user, NUMA-aware vCPU pinning, and practical validation techniques. Designed for home lab experimentation.
Series: Learn Datacenter Networking on Your Laptop Part 1 ← You are here — GNS3 foundation, virtual networking mental model, bridges, taps, Linux networking across distros Part 2: VLANs, Bonding, and Network Segregation — VLANs, NIC bonding modes, LACP, bridge isolation Part 3: iPerf3, Fiber, and Juniper — Testing Your Datacenter Network Like a Pro I’ve been managing datacenter networks for a few years now. Not hyperscaler stuff — the kind where you have real switching infrastructure, multiple VLANs screaming across bonded NICs, and the constant background anxiety of wondering which unlabeled cable goes to production storage. ...
Learn how to create, manage, and tune virtual machines with NUMA awareness using QEMU, KVM, and libvirt on Fedora and Ubuntu. Includes examples for NUMA topology, CPU pinning, hugepages, and bridge networking.